Why Yes, I am Projecting

You may have noticed that I’ve been grooving on fun householdy projects lately. I’m painting things, crafting things, sewing things, landscaping things and generally sprucing stuff up. I don’t want to be spending much (or any) money, so I’ve been employing my uber-frugal skills. (Try saying that three times fast!)

It’s been super satisfying!

And today my friend Chelsea and I decided that we’re going to get together once a week (or so) to work on projects. It may be crafting, it may be home improvement; heck it may even be talking about what to do, and then going for a walk to buy pastries. (We’ll call this Plan A.) You see, Chelsea just moved into a 100+ year old house, and my house offers a never ending plethora of fixer-upper opportunities. So really, it’s a match made in heaven.

My first project that I’m wanting to attempt is to construct a quilt made of squares from felted upcycled sweaters. Similar to this one from Yellow Suitcase Studio:

However, I see mine in sea glass colors of creams, soft greens and blues. I already have a plan to buy the sweaters at my local Value Village thrift store, where one color tag is always 99¢ on Mondays.

Although I don’t really sew, I can damn well wash, cut and sew a straight seam like nobody’s business. I figure it would take 8-10 sweaters, so it would absolutely fall under the category of budget friendly.

I’m pretty excited, and I’m realizing that if having something to look forward to is a key component to happiness, then having a project to look forward to is pretty much the same thing.

Plus, anything that gives me an excuse to get all cozy under a blanket is A-OK with me!

Have you been working on any projects lately? Please share your adventures in the comments section below.

Like this post? Then please share it with your friends!

What a great project and I love the sea glass color combo idea. Looking forward to seeing the end result. For me, I’d have to amend your happiness component statement though – it would have to be “having a FUN project to look forward to”. Somehow I just can’t look forward to cleaning the basement floor for example – lol.

I love the sweater quilt, too. Our thrift stores rarely have 100 percent wool sweaters, unfortunately. My latest project is a spring scarf using up some hand-dyed cotton from my yarn stash. The yarn is hard to work with, but the 4 inches knitted so far is pretty enough to keep me going.

I volunteer at an American Cancer Society upscale thrift shop. We set aside 100% wool sweaters (that might not be quite fashionable or in good enough condition for our store) for some one who has asked us to do so. I guess when the laundry basket gets full, she comes in and pays something for them. Long way to my point that if you ask a local thrift shop to save you such items, they might be willing to. Worth a try.

I can’t wait to see your quilt! After my No Spend month is over, I will be making one too. Instead, this month, I am reinventing my porch. I found a lovely fish kite in the woods, cleaned it up, tied it to a painted dowel and attached the dowel to the side of the porch. Also, repainted 2 chairs and made contrasting pillows for each. Soon I’ll be planting hyacinth bean seeds that will climb up a trellis I am making from branches. I love giving items a new life.

I think the opposite is also true. I despise cutting my hubby’s hair (what there is of it), so I finally told him just to have everything ready to go, sit down, then call me up, so I don’t have to live with the feeling of dread the passes over me when he starts telling me weeks in advance that he’s going need his hair cut soon.

My boyfriend does the same thing with haircuts. Although, I don’t actually cut his hair. He buzzes it, then has me check for missed spots. So, days in advance he’ll say “we need to shave my head.” To which I reply, “No, YOU need to shave your head, and I’ll check it afterward.” Men 😉

I think your colors sound wonderful…….and as a so called real quilter, sewing is sewing! I’ve had some post decluttering second thoughts lately asking my self whi Ididnt save at least the fronts of those sweaters and tshirts that grew to big for me…………I agree that it’s always nice to have a fun project or at least one that when it is finished you will really enjoy the results (she says as she looks to redo the patio)

That is a beautiful sweater quilt–which my cats would have in shreds in a couple of weeks. They’re hard enough on the cotton quilts I make and use. I’m part of a guild that makes quilts to give to local hospitals, shelters, and similar places, so I’m always making a quilt. The current one is a Single Irish Chain throw using two fabrics: cream snowflakes on a light teal background, and plain cream-colored cotton.

January was totally my month of projects! Some were outsourced, but I’m okay with that because the cost of my time and likelihood of me screwing it up was higher than if I outsourced it. So, here are my projects:

-had a t-shirt quilt made (after hanging onto my old t-shirts for 3-8 years, depending on the shirt)
-had other old t-shirts made into undies (Thanks, La Vie en Orange! http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaVieEnOrange)
-cleaned out art supplies and returned borrowed supplies to owner
-took old pins from various awards and pinned them in a shadow box for display (rather than them sitting in my jewelry box, forgotten)
-framed an old piece of sheet music to display it (rather than it sitting in a box, forgotten)

That’s all I can think of right now, but I’m sure there are more. Yay projecting!

Love that blanket idea!
We’ve been saving for a year for our trip to Hawaii and it’s THIS MONTH!! I’m so excited, and I think the anticipation of it has really helped us save. We’ll be paying 100% cash for everything and, if we’re frugal, should have money left over. I’m so excited and proud of us! Anticipation is definitely a key to happiness!

First things first, that blanket is stunning. I want to see yours! This is most certainly something I’d like to make, but am scared of sewing.
I’ve become addicted to making decoupage boxes. It started last November when I did one for Operation Christmas Child. The plan was to recycle a shoe-box, but make it much sturdier, so that the child had a gift in the box itself, something they could use again. It was the beginning as I had created a decoupage monster! Any excuse to grab a shoe-box and stick stuff all over it, I now take. Most birthdays I make one for the gift recipient, and fill with consumables rather than clutter. The Hubby got one last week (a Kid’s welly box decorated with an old sailing mag he threw in the recycling). They’re even getting a little fancy! I’ve started topping them with home-made clay name plaques. See I’m obsessed… I just love from nothing I can create something that is way greater than the sum of it’s parts. It’s unique, and the thought is there. I have one to make this weekend for my friend (a me-time box) which will be a gossip mag (I begged off my Big Sis – I don’t buy mags) design. Inside will be consumables plus a babysitting voucher for her to redeem off me.
Just in case I haven’t bored you sufficiently – the boxes are on my Facebook page. But I also included a photo of one on at the bottom of my post Monday which was actually titled Not Buying It – Bread (but I couldn’t resist putting my box on there – told you … I’m a decoupage box addict)

What a great idea! I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with a nice gift for my sister, whose birthday is coming up. I have a really nice, sturdy shoe box with an attached lid, and I know I have some mod podge and cute wrapping paper somewhere. Pop in some baked goods, and she will be one happy camper!

Sounds perfect Elaine! And it’s really therapeutic making them… just allow yourself plenty of drying time for the glue as it’s best to do in sections. Do the edges first and overlap then move onto the body – best to do lid first also as that needs to be properly dry as it fits on top and you wouldn’t want it sticking. I find that 3 or 4 different types of paper work best so as to get a really even pattern. However if using magazines then all pieces are different anyway. One idea I had was to get a newspaper on the day a baby is born, and then make a keepsake box out of it. On the look out for any Mum’s to be just so I can make one! This could also be done as a wedding, christening etc keep sake box.

Our big project right now (that I can actually help on) is re-landscaping our yards. I did just do a small project of converting an old license plate that had to be destroyed per state law into a name plate for our son’s art wall. Otherwise, I’m trying to find ways that allow me to be creative without creating more “stuff” to deal with.

What a fantastic idea! I am SO not crafty, but that doesn’t sound tooo hard. My husband sews, maybe I could talk him into putting it all together for me. I’ll just do the fun part, scout for the sweaters. 😉
I can’t wait to see how yours turns out.

Hmm, my current project is going through Pinterest finding all the things that I WANT to make…
Aside from that, I’m starting to work on Nate’s 4th birthday “Monster” party. From mostly scraps and some sale fleece, I made 17 monsters for favors (got a little carried away, there will probably be less than 10 kids). I also made 8 fleece monster bean bags. I recycled a bean bag toss that I made about 5 years ago. I ripped off the monkey and using a piece of mat board that I had leftover from some project, I painted a new front for the wooden board, with a giant monster and a hole in his middle. I just need to cut the hole and mount it. Then that can be put away until April.
This weekend, I’m doing a cookie decorating lesson for a friend in exchange for her husband coming to said monster birthday party and doing his magic/balloon art schtick.
As this party wraps up, Hannah’s begins…so that should take me through the end of May.

Ooh! Love this idea! I have made mittens out of old felted sweaters, but this is a great use for the scraps that aren’t quite the right shape for a mitten (using the smaller squares).
Thanks for posting this!

I’m knitting an afghan for my oldest DS. It’s called Courthouse Steps and is in the first Mason-Dixon Knitting book. It’s not quite compacty since I bought the yarn, but it is a nice acrylic from Hobby Lobby that is very budget friendly. I really need to learn the trick to finding good sweaters to rip apart for the yarn. Hmmm…

This year I’m planning on using the other half of the painting project from last year to paint my kitchen cabinetry and the remaining doors so that everything matches. My two dreaded projects will be to find a new home for the odd and end paint cans in the basement and to take the electronic graveyard, also in the basement, to the proper recycling center. Sheesh and now I have to make a felted sweater blanket too 😉

I like that – “having something to look forward to is a key component to happiness.” Maybe that’s why I always feel a little letdown AFTER the mailman arrives . . . though what, exactly, I am looking forward to in the mail is beyond me!

Love the sweater quilt! My grandma made simple 9 patch quilts using the “menfolks” cotton shirts for pieces as they wore them out. A few years ago I started with a few of hubby’s old shirts and then went to Goodwill and bought another 10 or 12 men’s shirts all in blue stripes, plaids and prints. I then made my own version of grandma’s quilt and I love it. It reminds me of her as it is something she would have made and frugal too.

An alternate finish for the sweater quilt – instead of putting flannel or more wool on the back, just blanket stitch the seams on the back and then around the edges. The quilt should be plenty heavy enough and you don’t have to buy a backing fabric. It will look great, too.